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Brown: What’s wrong with political polls these days?
"As we barrel toward another consequential election on Nov. 3, we should reconsider the role of polling in our political discourse," columnist Aaron Brown writes.
Bend columnist: Art, laughter can light up the darkness
Those of us who work on GO! magazine labored a bit over this week’s issue and what it should look like. GO! is, to me, the fun part of the […]
Three Six Zero Launches Entertainment & New Media Division Led by Rebecca Dowell
Three Six Zero announced a new Entertainment & New Media division led by Rebecca Dowell, who will represent digital creators and emerging talent including…
Bring boredom back to politics
Senior columnist Luke Stark highlights the risks posed by independent news sources and argues students should seek the facts themselves.
The Music Industry Must Change How It Does Business (Guest Column)
The music industry must change how it does business amid increasing consolidation, EMPIRE president Tina Davis argues in a new guest column.
Column: CEQA needs reform, but not like this
When does positive reform become negative regression?
Bridges, Colorado Dems have embraced every tax hike
Kevin Grantham, the Republican nominee for state treasurer, exposed the single most important issue that defines Colorado Democrats during a debate with his Democratic opponent, state Sen. Jeff Bridges. Grantham is a Fremont County commissioner and former state senator from Cañon City who served as president of the Colorado state Senate when Republicans controlled the […]
Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe on form ahead of El Clasico, Bayern Munich top and Lazio march on in Euro Debrief
Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane were all on target again but Lazio are the talk of Europe. Adam Bate picks out the big stories from the continent in the Euro Debrief, a Sky Sports column focusing on the major European leagues and more...
In Cuyahoga County, there’s a growing reason to stop minding our own business: Leslie Kouba
Elder abuse demands a louder call to action — and a public willing to notice warning signs and report concerns, writes columnist Leslie Kouba.
Quin Hillyer: Louisiana is earning praise for business-friendly climate. Here’s what experts see.
A reputable business journal has ranked Louisiana near the top of the country for its business atmosphere. With some help from experts, columnist Quin Hillyer takes a look at what Louisiana is doing well and why it’s on the verge of doing even better.
Lessons in reporting from rural Vermont [Unscripted column]
I may be slightly biased, but I think local journalists are incredibly cool people. And no fictional journalist is cooler than Vermont radio host Vern Barclay, the protagonist of “Radio
Column: The Great Outdoors (Indoors Edition)
After a lifetime lived in the Montana/Wyoming area, I like to fancy myself a great outdoorsman — somebody who could, if necessary, go full Leonardo-DiCaprio-in-The-Revenant in order to survive.
BEFORE THE ROAR: LSU returns home to welcome Mississippi State
LSU needs to get back in the win column to hold on to CFP hopes.
Review: A Cornucopia of Entertainment Closes out CABARET CONVENTION 2026 at Rose Hall
KT Sullivan and company end convention week with style and flair.
Douglas County, a Republican stronghold, turns a lighter shade of red
Douglas County is turning a lighter shade of red — and its ramifications could reverberate from the local school board to Colorado's seat of power to Washington, D.C., though the prevailing expectation is that Republicans will keep the congressional seat in their column.
Column: Mel's Drive-In is more than a building or a business
Mel's Drive-In is too essential to the identity of Route 66 to be torn down for the creation of 138 apartments.
Entertainment RX: Matthew Gilbert's recommendations for the grieving
Entertainment RX is an entertainment-guided advice column offering things to read, listen to, or watch that somehow address — or, in some cases, distract from — the issues readers write in about.
The record and the alternative
Elections involving incumbents offer voters something elections between newcomers cannot: evidence. Tom Sullivan need not tell Senate District 27 voters what kind of legislator he might be. After four years in the Colorado House and nearly four in the Senate, he has accumulated something more revealing than campaign promises. A record. Danielle Lammon offers something […]
California’s Quiet, Consequential Election Season
California is poised to elect its first Latino governor in more than 150 years, while the tenor of Democratic politics in the state is undergoing a shift.
It’s not the old two-party politics – but Labour and the Tories now know they can shun their populist challengers
Though Burnham and Badenoch may still need the votes of Green and Reform supporters, both leaders have drawn clear lines in the sand, says Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff
Mad about Science: Oakville blobs » Sandpoint Reader
By Brenden BobbyReader Columnist We continue through October with another instance of unsolved mysteries. This is a story with twists and turns, and the potential of a massive government cover-up happening right in the...
Alaska Science Forum time capsule: Hardwood, softwood, fuelwood
Note: After finally cleaning my stovepipe last weekend, it feels like woodstove season at my cabin can officially (and safely) begin. Carla Helfferich wrote this wood power-focused Alaska Science Forum column on Oct. 3, 1990. — Sara Wilbur
Alaska Science Forum time capsule: Hardwood, softwood, fuelwood
Note: After finally cleaning my stovepipe last weekend, it feels like woodstove season at my cabin can officially (and safely) begin. Carla Helfferich wrote this wood power-focused Alaska Science Forum column on Oct. 3, 1990. — Sara Wilbur
For the future of green politics, look beyond the Green party
Environmentalists of all political hues must find the language and ideas that turn passion for climate action into impetus, says Guardian columnist Zoe Williams
This civil war on the British right is a charade – its politics are more united than ever
Don’t be fooled by its bickering leaders. Their calibrated fake fighting will probably end in coalition, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Liew
Bass vs. Raman: Here's who won the L.A. mayoral debate
Times columnists weigh in on the final mayoral debate before the Nov. 3 election.
Live chat: Our columnists analyze L.A.'s mayoral debate
Times columnists comment in real time on the Los Angeles mayoral debate between Karen Bass and Nithya Raman.
When 1 + 1 = 1: The Miserable Math Behind Many Media Mergers
(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) The last few issues of this newsletter have circled two topics: September’s streaming viewership and all the Paramount/Skydance/Warner Bros./Discovery merger news. I’m happy to say on the Streaming Ratings Report front, we’ll be all caught up by early next week, then the SRR will come out on a tight weekly schedule. Then, after today, I’ll have slayed my PSWbD dragon. It’s such a big story, it demanded multiple issues. With the announcement of a name (just Skydance) and executive team, though, I think we can almost close the book on this story. In terms of topics, it becomes just another studio to cover. So today, I have one last set of takes on that merger. As I’ve sat with it, reading about who was staying and who was going, a big worry crystallized in my brain, and I gotta get that take out. Plus, I still owe you a host of “ugliness” that didn’t fit in my previous “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” takes. Let’s dive in! Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - As Paramount Shuffles Deck Chairs, Will They Build or Consolidate? On social media—I try to avoid most social media platforms, but sometimes I end up checking in—the best joke I saw about the announcement of the new name of Skydance was from fellow reporter Claire Atkinson who pointed out… Yeah, I laughed out loud at that one. Later, though, I saw another Twitter response (that later got deleted, so I can’t shout the person out) that did give me pause. The person noted that the Titanic film made the better analogy: a super expensive project everyone in the town doubted that went on to conquer the globe. So yeah: on one hand, the image of the Titanic recalls the actual ship and its infamous end, but that clip is from a movie which proved the doubters wrong. So for all the skepticism of the latest massive media merger, one could wonder which way this one goes. Does it crash like the Titanic or rise to glory like Titanic, the movie? Either way, this deal is “Titanic”, looking at the massive debt required to close the deal, which is not going well when it comes to borrowing costs for Paramount… …or borrowing costs for Oracle. But I’ve started to get worried about another outcome: the sum of this merger will be smaller and weaker and less profitable than its former parts. In other words, one plus one won’t equal three or two, but an even smaller number. Skydance paid to take a traditional studio off the board, but they won’t really capture the upside. Let me explain what I mean, but first, let’s look at the series of news that inspired this thought. Skydance Sets Its Leadership Team As soon as the Paramount-Skydance-Warner Bros.-Discovery merger closed, the new leadership team announced a new name—Skydance, which I’ll use going forward—and a new executive leadership team. You’ve probably read through all the executive shuffling, but if you haven’t, here’s a quick, incomplete summary, in rough order of importance: Mattel’s CEO Ynon Kreiz—who previously ran Maker Studios—joined as co-CEO with David Ellison. HBO/HBO Max’s Casey Bloys will stay and run streaming. Former head of streaming for Paramount-Skydance Cindy Holland—who was also at Netflix—will depart. The former heads of Warner Bros.—Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca—are out. The film studios will be run by Dana Goldstein and Josh Greenstein. George Cheeks of Paramount will run Skydance TV, controlling all the TV production units. In comic book news, the DC films will still be run by Peter Gunn and Peter Safran. Lastly, the head of CNN, Mark Thompson, will stay in place. Let’s quickly opine on the particulars before diving into the broad ramifications. We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… Who I like and dislike in their next gigs… Why I think this consolidation will likely leave Skydance worse off… The math behind which mergers succeed and which don’t… A lot more ugliness in this merger… And a whole lot more... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support.
OTHER DESERT CITIES to Host Performance Benefiting Entertainment Community Fund
Other Desert Cities will make present a Special Performance benefiting the Entertainment Community Fund. One hundred percent of the ticket proceeds from…
Science Desk Fall Relaunch: Events in New York and Chicago, and More | The New York Times Company
Now more than ever, The New York Times is the place to learn about the world of science. This fall, the Science desk is relaunching its coverage — with new beats and columns…
Celebrating Washington’s hidden makers
Statewide bus tour highlights the small- and medium-sized manufacturers housed inside nondescript buildings where most of the people who drive by every day have no idea what’s going on inside.
What Happens When Domestic Violence Survivors Lose Health Coverage?
Health coverage is part of a vital safety net for people experiencing domestic violence. Cuts to Medicaid and changes to ACA marketplace coverage could make it harder for these survivors to receive and maintain care.
Opinion | Wyoming health insurance task force deserves another year on the job
"BearCare” catastrophic coverage plan wasn’t found to be as helpful as expected to reduce costs, but there are many ideas to explore, columnist Kerry Drake writes.
Commentary: The time for keeping beluga whales captive for our entertainment has passed
Editor’s Note: Since this column was written, another transferred beluga died on Oct. 7.
Political rhetoric preceding autocratic rule | The Pajaronian
Columnist Theo Wierdsma opines about the current presidential administration, and what he sees as similarities to autocratic regimes.
Greg Hinz: Who’s bankrolling Chicago’s first elected school board?
This column is how big money, often effectively undisclosed, has taken over the race for Chicago’s first fully elected Board of Education.
Greg Hinz: Who’s bankrolling Chicago’s first elected school board?
This column is how big money, often effectively undisclosed, has taken over the race for Chicago’s first fully elected Board of Education.
Column: Take a breath. Educate yourself. Then vote.
The California Secretary of State has mailed a thick “Official Voter Information Guide” to every registered voter.
2027 Oscars power rankings: Top 10 best picture contenders right now
With the fall festivals in the books, awards columnist Glenn Whipp surveys the landscape and offers his first bold prediction of the 10 best picture nominees.
Jonathan Wharton (opinion): How I teach political campaigning
'Campaign work has some of the ugliest and revealing politics,' columnist Jonathan Wharton reveals as he explores his college course in campaign management.
Candidate's View: I'm running to stand up for our neighbors, health, future
From the column: "People are working hard, carrying heavy burdens, and feeling entirely left behind by a political system that treats rural life as an afterthought."
Finally, a helpful intervention in the ‘overdiagnosis’ wars. But where’s the money to answer this tragedy?
There is much to agree with in the Fonagy review into mental health support. Without serious public funding, however, its approach won’t work, says Guardian columnist John Harris
New York Jets Flight Connections 10/11/26
Happy Sunday, Jets fans! The Jets are back in action today against the Cleveland Browns looking to end their three game losing streak. The weather is likely to be a factor. We will see whether the Jets can get back into the win column. Your daily links are below. Jets Activate WR Tim Patrick from […]
Column: Proposals up for vote and world health concerns
Two proposals involving a Constitutional Convention and reforming political spending in Michigan. are among the decisions voters will make in the November election.
There’s a lot more to life than just politics
With the midterms 23 days away, football season in high gear and movies in theaters, today's column is a hodgepodge of politics, sports and entertainment. There's a lot to cover, so let's get to it.
Native Chattanoogan Dr. Darria will bring expert health advice to readers in column
Shortly after ownership of the Times Free Press changed hands, new owner Craig Fuller made it clear the pages within each section would reflect a rededication to local news coverage.
Marrero Hi: To show real political courage, Rep. De La Cruz must sign the Dream and Promise Act
A guest column from Dani Marrero Hi, deputy director of La Unión del Pueblo Entero and LUPE Votes.
Column: A great place for business, family
Commentary by Zackary Jerome Darring When I think about Carmel, Indiana, I don't just think about a city — I think about home. As a 33-year resident and one of the first minority-owned business operators in Carmel, my story is woven into the very fabric of this remarkable community. From
Column: Life lessons from the WYO Film Festival
What makes the annual WYO Film Festival — which just wrapped its ninth installment last weekend at the WYO Performing Arts and Education Center — such a unique opportunity is
Terms limits could help to stem the divisiveness in American politics [letter]
Tom Tillett’s Oct. 3 LNP | LancasterOnline column on town hall meetings was right to the point (“Town halls have become a casualty of the Trump era’s divisive politics”).
One Month at a Time: Planning for and pondering the inevitable end
Columnist Bill Lynch reluctantly turns his sights to the future -- more specifically, his own inevitable, mortal end.
Netflix’s Summer of Bummer
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) Today, I’ve got a guest post from longtime friend of the newsletter, Brandon Katz. I’ve been trying to find time all summer to look at Netflix’s straight-to-streaming film slate, but between a pre-planned trip and Nielsen moving up their streaming data timeline, I’ve been swamped. So I reached out to Brandon, one of my favorite fellow analysts, to write about it. And I feel like he captured the tone and data focus of the newsletter perfectly. You can connect with Brandon on LinkedIn and Twitter. Enjoy! Don’t worry, folks. You’re in safe hands with me. To ease any anxieties about an interloper in ESG’s domain, I’ll start by stealing one of his best framing devices: headlines. Box office flops are covered in the same way the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles eye pizza: with cartoonish insatiability. I would know. I’m a former reporter who wrote nearly identical headlines: Yet, intentionally or not, streaming misses get treated with kids gloves, filtered through a rosy lens: In the last six years, U.S. streaming viewership has become nearly as transparent as the box office, but the data often arrives weeks later, in a number of less intuitive metrics, and with nary an official budget to be found. This plays into the Wall Street-whispering narratives major streamers have been cultivating for years. They get a pass in a way that theatrical studios simply don’t. Subscribe Netflix’s Summer Slate Not a single Netflix original film released between May and August this year opened above 20 million U.S. TV hours, per Nielsen. That benchmark usually serves as the EntStrategyGuy’s floor for a streaming hit on Netflix. None of these films enjoyed a hit-cementing single week of 20-plus million hours during their runs. Netflix’s two best films were true crime docs, Maternal Instinct (16.5 million hours) and The Crash (19.7 million), the best overall week for a film this summer. Great for most other streamers, but not necessarily what we’re used to seeing from Netflix. For an overly-dramatic comparison, Happy Gilmore 2 opened last summer to around 47 million hours (celebrity cameos, baby!). Zooming out, the picture looks even worse. In 2026, Netflix’s five biggest scripted summer films posted the lowest average (28.6 million hours) and median (28.8 million hours) eight-week viewership totals of the past four years. Now, it’s unrealistic and unfair to expect Netflix to deliver a _KPop Demon Hunters-_sized hit every year. But it’s also not ideal to see the size of their hits shrinking over the last few summers. Let’s quickly run through some of the notable summer misses. Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein’s perfectly fine romcom, Office Romance, fell off the charts after 20 million hours in its first two weeks. Top films usually last for four-plus weeks. Starry titles ideally don’t decay that fast either. Homegrown star Millie Bobby Brown couldn’t prevent the snappy Enola Holmes franchise from diminishing returns. At 14.3 million U.S. hours, the third film posted roughly half of what the first two films did in their first two weeks. What’s on Netflix calculated that per-day global views were down nearly 60% from the second movie. The Whisper Man did okay with more than 36 million hours over its first four weeks. But I expected a little more juice from a film featuring Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, and Adam Scott. Kevin Hart’s Ladies First collected just 11.2 million hours total across two weeks. That’s a big miss for one of Netflix’s go-to stars. Plopping into the same bucket are Sunny Sandler’s Don’t Say Good Luck (10.3 million in two weeks) and John Cena’s Little Brother (17.5 million). Meanwhile, English-language originals Color Book (June 19), In the Hand of Dante (June 24) and Heartstopper Forever (July 17) never sniffed Nielsen’s Top 10 at all, despite needing only 2 to 5 million hours to land in the top ten most weeks. (By my count, eleven English-language scripted original films released between May and August did chart). It’s only fair to mention that Swapped (1-May) posted nearly 42 million U.S. hours over five weeks (the longest Netflix original run this summer) and is currently their eighth most-watched English-language film ever worldwide. Remarkably Bright Creatures (37 million, 4 weeks) and Voicemails for Isabelle (27 million, 4 weeks) weren’t bombs either. Still, overall, I think it’s fair to say this was a quieter summer season than we’re used to seeing from the market-leader. You might not realize that given the language commonly used in public analysis. The Twist Despite the starkly black-and-white tone of the coverage, here’s the twist: when many box office bombs arrive on streaming, their viewership looks a whole lot like many of Netflix’s supposedly successful summer releases. Hmm, where have we heard that one before? Masters of the Universe topped out at $65 million stateside against a $170 million budget_._ I’ll admit, Skeletor ripping sleeveless curls as a gym bro and bodyslamming Adam’s co-workers was funny. But, much to the chagrin of my bank account, my laughter doesn’t launch franchises. Yet the He-Man reboot opened to 19.6 million hours (from a Wednesday five-day opening instead of just one weekend), on par with Hoppers on Disney+ (19.4 million). It put up nearly 47 million hours over its first six weeks, bigger than all of Netflix’s summer releases. Pretty darn healthy and likely to land among the 25 most-watched movies on streaming this year. Sticking with Amazon, The Sheep Detectives just barely broke even at the box office with $133 million worldwide (and only $66 million domestic). I never expected cloven-hooved, cud-chewing mammals to be able to bring me to tears. Yet that’s exactly how I found myself at the end of this surprisingly affecting movie (#NoShame). It was likely the unexpected quality in a family-friendly film that powered its streaming over-performance. Sheep Detectives delivered a solid run for Prime video netting 26.2 million hours! How about franchise IP? Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu had the lowest opening ($81 million) and lowest-grossing Disney-era live-action Star Wars film ($178 million domestic). One day before release, its Heat score (19.8%)—audiences who list their interest as a 7/7—fell behind blockbusters Wicked (21%), Superman (23%), Fantastic Four: First Steps (23%), Michael (23%), Toy Story 5 (26%) and Avatar: Fire and Ash (27%), according to Greenlight Analytics. The urgent enthusiasm just wasn’t there. On streaming, Mando opened to weeks of 12.1 million, 6.1 million and 2.7 million hours (21 million total) over its first three frames. Not the numbers Lucasfilm was hoping for nor the numbers of a streaming hit. But they’re in the same vicinity as some Netflix summer releases with $345 million at the global box office to offset a smidgen of the pain. Final Thoughts So why oh why does this nuance gap exist? Four key reasons: Data Literacy: A “$100 million opening” just makes sense. After decades of box office reporting, even casual movie fans are well-versed in the benchmarks of hits and home runs. There’s an immediate shorthand. But “16.5 million” hours doesn’t land nearly as cleanly. Despite leaps of progress, the streaming ratings era is still in its infancy compared to theatrical. The EntStrategyGuy and I met thanks to a late 2010s group chat of data nerds hungry to find a shred of certainty in nebulous streaming performance. I’m not surprised to see “No. 1 on Netflix” still getting misconstrued out in the wild. Timing: By Friday morning, we have the box office’s Thursday night previews totaled, allowing us to better project the weekend’s expectations. From there, ticket sales are reported daily. By Sunday, the film’s fate is usually finalized, at least in terms of public perception. In streaming, Nielsen recently improved its delay to…two weeks. The medium isn’t forced to contend with instant gratification as harshly. Financials: Theatrical film budgets are a mere Google away. Profit and loss is calculated in the cold and unforgiving naked light of day for all to see. But finding the vast majority of streaming exclusive movie budgets requires the forensic investigation skills of a Criminal Minds detective. Also, it’s very difficult to calculate how much revenue/value a straight-to-streaming films provides a streamer. This is why there are so few stories about streaming original movies “losing X amount of money”. On top of that, marketing budgets are far greater for theatrical movies than streaming exclusive movies, which leads to earlier and better awareness. This then translates to a wider pool of potential interest. Narrative Control: Netflix is the only major streaming service to publish weekly first-hand viewership data and annual engagement reports. Naturally, some headlines borrow their first-hand framing**.** Other streamers benefit from their comparative lack of transparency. They may occasionally announce vague performance platitudes such as Apple TV’s Mayday becoming its “biggest film debut on the platform to date over its first 18 days,” and that it ranked No. 1 with left-handed viewers in its first weekend. (Fine, I made up that second one). But, for the most part, they keep first-hand viewership shrouded in mystery to avoid bad press. Especially for outlets that demand multiple articles per day from their writers, it’s an easy (and understandable) way for some reporters to hit their daily article quota by just repeating what the streamers have told them. TL:DR version: Streaming-exclusive movies are asked to do different things than theatrical movies, but that doesn’t mean they should escape judgment. Both still need to draw enough eyeballs to justify their cost within the proper performance contexts. The more cleanly we can inject a little nuance into streaming analysis, the better we’ll understand the audience and content trends that drive this industry. And that’s what all of this is really about: knowing what audiences actually want! Brandon Katz is the Director of Insights & Content Strategy at Greenlight Analytics where he focuses on evaluating the ever-fluid media landscape to unearth understanding, opportunity and value. Greenlight Analytics is the entertainment intelligence consulting company redefining how Hollywood finds, understands, and activates audiences. Prior to joining Greenlight Analytics, he served as the senior entertainment industry strategist at Parrot Analytics, and as a full-time entertainment industry reporter covering the Xs and Os of Hollywood, most notably with TheWrap and the Observer.
The guy I like shows up to our dates without showering. How do I tell him?
I’m dating a guy I really like, but he’s shown up to a few dates without showering. If it keeps happening, how do I tell him? Advice columnist Carolyn Hax weighs in.
Data Breaches Could Cost Your Business Millions
Data-security gaps can put medical cannabis patient and employee records at risk, leaving your business holding the bag for a settlement, even if it wasn't your fault.
Guest column: Bringing health care concerns directly to policymakers
Mountain Family Health Centers hosted a roundtable discussion Sept. 27 with attendees holding tremendous influence over our health care system. Those who joined the discussion were Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet...
Florida’s devolving position on science standards
Columnist Pat Beall trains her pen on new Florida school science standards that put evolution and climate change in the back seat.
Video: Opinion | How TikTok Warps Our Politics
What are the political consequences of the era of video? TikTok is overwhelming our world with emotional appeals that print media can’t capture, according to the Times of London columnist James Marriott, and it’s making us more mystical, tribal and autocratic.
Horror Movies, Politics Are Killing Film Festivals: Opinion Column
The film festival circuit is drowning in bloody genre fare and ideological theater. Whatever happened to indie cred?
Idaho deserves a competent lawyer and politician for attorney general
An attorney general can have personal views on political issues but cannot ethically inject them into legal advice or court. | Opinion
Restaurant, Texas Tech students' app, more make Lubbock business news
Business Reporter Alana Edgin reviews recent Lubbock area businesses news and hints at upcoming articles in the Around the Hub column.
Letter: People over politics
This is regarding Mary Schamehorn’s As I See It column published in the September 29 issue of The World.
With the internet’s rise, politics carry more meme than meaning
Our columnist argues Americans must take political communication more seriously, rather than reducing nuanced issues to surface-level content.
Who Won August and September: Original Films or Franchises?
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) I just heard someone say that if you’re reading a pundit or data analyst, and they don’t tell you that they got anything wrong, they’re not a pundit but an “influencer”. I agree with that. You have to tell your audience when you get things wrong, or they won’t (or shouldn’t) trust you as much. Today, we’ve got another edition of “What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong”. In general, I’m patting myself on the back (and patting very hard) about a few things like IP at the box office, LIV golf, horror films, crowdfunding movies, superheroes, and old people going to the theaters. That said, I also made a couple of data mistakes on the streaming bubble popping and HBO’s datecdotes, so I’m not perfect. But first, I need your feedback... Subscribe Follow-Ups: What Should We Call Mid-Budget Movies Which Aren’t Cinematic Enough for Theaters But Are Too Expensive to Make Money on Streaming? After I asked for feedback on what we should call straight-to-streaming films that are too big to pencil out on streaming but not really big enough to resonate in theaters, I got some great suggestions from you all, including... “Moldilocks” from John Aboud “Little Big Indie” from Travis Frick1 “Midflicks” from Jonathan Funke. “Extra-Medium” from Jona Nwuke. (Read the explanation in the footnote.) Between these and Brandon Katz—who suggested “Bermuda Budget Triangle”, “The Platform Gap” and “The Distribution Deadzone”—we’ve got some excellent suggestions. And they’re better than my suggestion, the “Streaming Budget Dead Zone”, so let’s take a poll! The winning entry becomes the new term. Loading... RIGHT: LIV Golf is Fully Bankrupt…Is Anyone Else Next? A few years ago, I was always a bit perplexed at all the articles I’d read praising LIV Golf and their strategy to disrupt the PGA. LIV Golf, a brand new professional golf league, offered PGA stars ten times what they made on the PGA Tour to join their new league. And folks praised this strategy for its initial “success” in that a lot of big names did indeed leave the PGA. Yeah, of course the players came over. LIV Golf paid them so, so, so much more! But LIV Golf hadn’t discovered a way to increase potential revenue. So think about this in basic business terms… They paid much more in costs… …but had no real way to increase revenue. That’s not a strategy! That’s deficit financing. It won’t work unless you bankrupt the competition (and then turn around and pay those same golfers much, much less). It’s not a sustainable strategy and only lasts as long as the company/person/nation backing it decides they’re cool with losing money. For LIV Golf, that meant Middle East oil wealth, in particular Saudi Arabian money. Clearly, the current Iran War has hurt Middle East finances, so they need to trim their more exorbitant spending. And LIV Golf was part of that trimming. This should be a major warning for others. TGL’s parent company, TMRW Sports, just got a $1 billion valuation, despite TGL’s (the indoor golf league) horrible TV viewership of less than half a million viewers per match. Unrivaled, the women’s basketball league, just secured a $650 valuation, despite its horrible TV viewership and a new rival (Project B) entering the scene next year. To relate this to streaming, Hollywood should ask which streamers may have wealthy patrons funding their losses. (Let’s be clear: Google, Amazon and Apple.) Could those patrons lose their appetite? For Amazon, probably not. But Apple has a new boss, so maybe! WRONG: My Analysis of the Streaming Bubble Was Missing a Week I’m going to be congratulating myself a lot today, but I make mistakes too, like this data goof. When I last compiled the data on the decline in TV shows, I was missing one week at the end of June. If you look at the first image, you can see that one week was mislabelled as “July”. Mainly, this image got updated to show a 27% decline, not 29%: This change doesn’t really impact the overall analysis, but it is two percent better. By the way, through the third quarter, the decline increased and it’s now a 30% decrease since 2022. (I’ll write/visualize this in an upcoming article.) But I want you to trust me and my data. Especially these days, when many people are using LLMs that I know are inserting faulty data into their charts, I want to keep earning my audience’s faith. So that’s the accurate data. RIGHT: IP Remains Very, Very Popular In July, I wrote a giant (and I mean giant) article on Backrooms, Obsession, and the box office, going over what we know, what we don’t know about what works in theaters, looking at YouTubers, IP, the horror genre, comic book movies, and a whole lot more. The month of August really tested a lot of my theses and, being honest, mostly supported my arguments. Let’s start with IP. Looking at 8-Aug (the weekend after Spider-Man: Brand New Day came out) to 18-Sep (the weekend that Resident Evil came out, which I think provides a nice bookend to this time period), there were seven films based on pre-existing IP: Resident Evil (2026) ($126 million) Practical Magic 2 ($65 million) _Insidious: Out of the Furthe_r ($65 million) Coyote Vs. Acme ($59 million) Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie ($53 million) Tony ($15 million) Super Troopers 3 ($7 million) Compare those to the notable original films from the past month—I actually could have included more movies, but here are just thirteen, bringing us to an even twenty films—including.... The End of Oak Street ($54 million) Buddy ($26 million) Mutiny ($15 million) By Any Means ($15 million) The Dog Stars ($14 million) Runner ($14 million) One Night Only ($11 million) Hope ($8 million) Spa Weekend ($7 million) The Uprising ($6 million) Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma ($6 million) Onslaught ($3 million) Eli Roth’s Ice Cream Man ($2.8 million) Here’s that in chart form: Five of the top six films in this time period were all based on IP. I made a big chart of films that grossed over $200 million at the box office before Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey hit theaters. Let’s update that chart! By the way, if you want to see how I categorized each film—so another bar chart—here it is: I know that many of my fellow critics/pundits/analysts dislike films based on IP and how Hollywood is making so many of them. And I’m sympathetic to this point of view. As I’ve written many, many times before, you need a balance between existing franchises, new IP, and original films. And Hollywood clearly needs to make more films like Resident Evil (a well-made film from a visionary director) and fewer Practical Magic 2’s (which didn’t get critical or customer buzz). But at some point, critics and pundits need to contend with what audiences are telling them: Movie-goers aren’t showing up to original films. Audiences are speaking with their dollars, telling you they want more IP and franchises. You can try to convince studio heads to make fewer IP-based films and franchises, but the data and numbers aren’t there. Instead, critics need to work harder to convince audiences to show up for original films. Aim your ire/concern at the average person, not studio heads.2 Because they’re just making the films that audiences are telling them to make. WRONG: Original Horror Films Didn’t Break Out I’ll be honest, even though I wrote an article casting some skepticism on the horror genre in July, if you asked me to make a prediction, I would have predicted that, in August, a new, original horror film would have blown up. No, seriously, I just assumed that Obsession and Backrooms presaged a change in audience behavior. But none of the buzzy new original horror films from August—Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Onslaught (not an action film in spite of the ads), The End of Oak Street, Eli Roth’s Ice Cream Man, or _Buddy—_broke out. To be clear, exactly one of those films (Buddy) had good “ROI”, but again—I try to be specific in my language—none were “popular” in any broad sense of the word. None of them will be “saving” movies theaters like Backrooms or _Obsession_helped save the summer. The new Insidious film and Resident Evil, both based on IP, were far and away the biggest horror films since July. (We’ll see if this changes in October/Halloween season.) RIGHT: Stay Skeptical about Crowdfunding... I’ve long been skeptical about crowd-investing platforms as one of Hollywood’s saviors, mainly because there’s so much hype/buzz. People need to stay more skeptical about more things, explaining both the potential upside but also the downsides. In particular, the media often hypes crowdfunding at the start and never checks in on the actual results after they’ve come in later. And August gave us our first update! _Ice Cream Man—_directed by Eli Roth—grossed $6 million off of a $5.5 million budget. This is a production of The Horror Section, which was one of the first “crowd investing” studios with 2,400 investors, which means that 2,400 investors probably lost money. They certainly aren’t getting as great of returns as if they had just invested their dollars in the stock market. Hopefully Stiletto (Tagline: “Someone’s Going to Make it Rain Blood!”) does better next month. WRONG: Another Data Goof Here’s another data error. When the first episode of House of the Dragon came out, HBO put out that it had 21.5 million viewers in the first three days, and I read that to mean in the US…but no, it was global. So my US-only datecdotes charts shouldn’t have included it. We never got US-only numbers for the first episode, but for the final episode, HBO put out that it had 11 million US viewers. (And that global dropped to 21 million viewers.) Here’s the updated chart (which I’ve since used in the Streaming Ratings Report): Still, this show is absolutely huge. RIGHT: Superhero Films Remain Very, Very Popular After Supergirl flopped, I read a few takes that “comic book movies are going the way of the Western”. Post-Spider-Man: Brand New Day, that take didn’t age well. To be fair, I have a very nuanced take on the superhero genre right now; it’s down right now, for a lot of reasons. But it’s not “dead”. Maybe _Spider-_Man is just a really popular character? I saw that take, and it’s a fair counter-argument. (But pundits arguing that superhero movies were dead should have mentioned this $1.5 billion counter-argument…) But is it just Spider-Man? The next Avengers film already has $50 million in pre-sales (and I was skeptical that that film would do well) and the Avengers: End Game re-release topped the box office two weekends ago (over three original films). And I wouldn’t bet against Batman or Superman. So maybe it’s just Spider-Man, Batman, Superman and the Avengers. Oh, and Deadpool, of course. And Black Panther. And Wolverine. And probably the X-Men. Plus a well-made Wonder Woman or the Hulk film could break out. But that’s it! It’s just those ten characters/teams. Oh, what’s that? Lanterns is also doing well on HBO? (See previous section…) To be fair, I’m actually pretty sympathetic to the argument that more popular characters—like Spider-Man and Batman—anchor more popular films. In fact, I made that exact argument three years ago when I first wrote about the “Marvel-cession”. In many ways, you can blame The Guardians of the Galaxy for fooling Marvel Studios (and the rest of us) into believing that any character could pop. It turns out, the list of iconic characters is probably smaller than most people think. But it’s probably too early to say that superhero films and comic book movies are dead unless “death” means a slight decline over a longtime. RIGHT: Who Killed Theaters? Old People I get frustrated whenever I see headlines or analysis about how young people are “returning” to theaters. As I’ve detailed(for years), young people have always powered the US box office, despite narratives about “kids these days” and their “phones”. Really, what’s changed post-2020/pandemic is that old people aren’t going to the movies nearly as much. This summer, I saw a movie (from an older director) in a theater near a retirement community, and multiple older people at the theater were talking about how this was their first time seeing a movie in years. I dislike personal anecdotes, so YouGov can fill in the data, best summarized by this headline: “Who killed movie theaters? Not the youths”. According to them, 64% of people aged 18-29 have seen a movie in the last year, but only 30% of 65-and-older. 20% of 18-29 have seen a movie in theaters in the last week and 42% in the last month. Here’s the polling data: Most concerning? Many Americans (17%) think theaters are a worse or much worse experience than watching films at home. Slight WRONG: Hadestown Opens Big A live theater capture of the Broadway musical, Hadestown, made $20 million at the US box office, which begs the question: was I wrong to be skeptical about musicals a few years ago? Yes and no. On the one hand, $20 million is a far cry from being “popular”, so yeah, the genre isn’t that popular overall and Hadestown is one of the more popular musicals from recent years (i.e. the “Taylor Swift Data Fallacy” in action). On the other, I doubt filming this cost all that much, and I don’t think that they spent much on marketing, so this is a good source of ancillary revenue. Smaller Updates WRONG: As I mentioned in a Streaming Ratings Report, I underestimated the budget for Enola Holmes 3. It probably cost more like $50 million, if not more. But... I’m not sure that it really matters? At sub-10 million hours, prices have to come down to make this work. WRONG: Netflix is giving Ink a 27-day in theaters! To quote the kids/YouTubers these days, let’s go! Now I might actually have a chance to see Danny Boyle’s latest in theaters. I’d complained about this in a “Coming Soon” section, but I was heartened to read that Netflix is giving multiple films longer theatrical windows this year. RIGHT: Netflix is sending 4-5 films per year to theaters. Netflix is slowly but surely sending more and more films to theaters, as I cautiously predicted earlier this year. For now, it’s just three big films and a number of awards contenders, but still, this is great news. And they’ll be releasing box office grosses! Just this week, Ted Sarandos confirmed that KPop Demon Hunters 2 will come to theaters (and my guess is it performs in the box office top ten at a minimum). WRONG: Angel has 3 million subscribers! How do I know this? Well, they told Deadline, who reported it. I marked this as “wrong”, since they’ve doubled their subscribers in one year but, you know, they don’t really have a hit film to speak of and they’re still losing money. WRONG: Furious was only renewed for one more season. I accidentally wrote “two more seasons” in my latest “Renewals, Cancellations, Un-Orders and Removals Update”. RIGHT: House of David is ending with its third season. In July, Prime Video renewed House of David for a third season, as I just wrote in my latest “Renewals and Cancellations” report. Well, now it’s ending after that third season. Why? As I’ve been writing, its viewership wasn’t great. I got feedback that this show didn’t cost very much, but it cost enough that its limited viewership didn’t save it. WRONG: Adults was a Hulu original! So I missed Adults when it first came out last year; I saw that it aired on FX and just assumed that it was a linear-first program. Turns out, it aired three episodes on FX, but binge-released the rest of its episodes the next day on Hulu. Huh. So I should have covered it last year! But I just wrote about it. 1 “When I was a kid in the 90s, if you wore a t-shirt to school that wasn’t too big and also wasn’t too small, but somehow didn’t quite fit, we’d say you were wearing an “extra-medium” shirt.” 2 As always, a huge exception is Disney, which barely makes anything original anymore.
The prosecutor and the executive
Colorado voters choosing their next attorney general face a question more fundamental than Republican versus Democrat. What is an attorney general for? Michael Allen and Jena Griswold offer remarkably different answers. Allen, the elected district attorney for El Paso and Teller counties, has spent more than two decades prosecuting crimes. He talks about fentanyl networks, […]
Issue 3: What’s on the table?
In an earlier column, we reviewed the economic-development tools currently available in Arkansas and how Issue 3 can expand that toolbox by authorizing the General Assembly to provide for economic...
Issue 3: What’s on the table?
In an earlier column, we reviewed the economic-development tools currently available in Arkansas and how Issue 3 can expand that toolbox by authorizing the General Assembly to provide for economic...
Hudson River Park to Present Fall Science and Family Events
Hudson River Park will offer science, sustainability and family-friendly programming through the fall, including aquarium tours, hands-on experiments and…
Pulse of Politics: Less than a month until Election Day
Detroit News Columnist Kaitlyn Buss joins FOX 2 Detroit Live Host Aaron Jordan to discuss the races for senate and governor, with less than a month to go until Election Day.
Brazil: Lessons from a Disaster
By Antonio Martins (Outras Palavras) Defeats become deeper and more prolonged when we misunderstand what caused them, avoid correcting course, and embrace “solutions” that only compound our mistakes. Lula’s government and the Brazilian left suffered a disaster in Sunday’s election. Contrary to every poll, the president finished the first round 2.2 million votes behind Flávio Bolsonaro—and, more significantly, 3.4 million votes below his total four years ago, when the machinery of the state was working against him and in favor of his opponent. His vote share declined in 98 percent of Brazil’s municipalities. The PL, the main party of the far right, elected 121 deputies and 28 senators, becoming the largest caucus in both houses of Congress. The parties aligned with the Centrão—Brazil’s bloc of transactional center-right parties—were somewhat diminished, but will still hold roughly 250 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 35 in the Senate. That will make it easier to assemble the majorities needed to amend the Constitution or impeach Supreme Federal Court justices. If elected, Flávio Bolsonaro could appoint four members of the Court, substantially altering its internal balance of power. What produced these results? How can the far right be prevented from consolidating them into a prolonged political hegemony? And what is the essential change of direction the left now needs? Explaining the Disaster Across the commercial media and the exuberant chaos of digital platforms, interpretations are multiplying. Some focus on specific episodes: Lula’s absence from the Globo debate, his very close relationship with Alexandre de Moraes, or his emphasis on issues supposedly remote from most people’s everyday concerns, such as rare earth minerals. Among the more systemic interpretations, three seem especially questionable. One argues that the principal defeat was not the left’s, since its congressional representation declined only slightly. The decisive movement captured at the ballot box, according to this view, was a shift within the right itself—from the more moderate and transactional forces of the Centrão toward the more ideological and radicalized forces of the PL and Novo. A second interpretation holds that the nature of electoral and political processes has changed. The material interests and aspirations of society, it argues, no longer play the central role they once did; they have given way to forms of subjective self-identification that the left has yet to understand. And a third concludes that, because of these two developments, we should expect a political winter: a prolonged period in which the far right and the broader right dominate Brazilian political life. There are important elements in all three interpretations. The problem lies in what they deny or leave out: Lula’s third government was a small-bore government. It offered the majorities that elected it neither a clearly better life nor reasons to believe again in politics and its power to transform society. These failures flowed from two fatal accommodations, which I will examine below. As a result, the government suffered a slow but steady erosion of support. And, as has happened in so many Western countries, it gave the far right the opportunity to present itself as anti-system and to benefit from popular frustration and distress. The interpretation that emphasizes the migration of votes from the center-right and traditional right toward the far right has been advanced, among others, by the courageous journalist Leonardo Sakamoto. In his UOL column on Monday, October 5, he highlights the miserable behavior of the traditional conservative parties. Over the past four years, they repeatedly joined forces with the “neo”-fascists, helping to “normalize” them—a criticism that could equally be directed at almost the entire corporate media. Believing they could use the far right as a stepping stone, they instead ended up partly devoured by it. This was especially true in the Senate, where the PL’s gain of 13 senators and Novo’s gain of two came at the expense of the PSD, which lost nine; the MDB, which lost two; the PSDB, which lost two; and the PP, which lost one. Sakamoto’s observation is accurate and necessary, but it leaves uncomfortable questions unanswered. Why did the erosion of the Centrão benefit the far right rather than, for example, producing growth for the left—as has happened so many times before, both in Brazil and elsewhere? The answer is not difficult. Throughout its four years in office, Lula’s third government was almost invariably associated with the Centrão. Here lies its first accommodation: accepting the limits imposed by conservative institutions; avoiding, as much as possible, any attempt to strain those limits through popular pressure; and believing only in the modest changes that could be squeezed through openings in Congress. The failure of the campaign to end the six-day workweek is emblematic. Lula could have electrified the presidential race by pairing it with a popular campaign for passage of the measure. Instead, he chose to place his hopes in the hands of Senate president Rodrigo Alcolumbre. He generated no mass mobilization, did not force his opponents onto an uncomfortable defensive, and won no victory. In September 2025, the government squandered the greatest of its many opportunities to shake up conservative power in Congress. Popular opposition to the so-called Shielding Amendment—which, if approved, would have restricted criminal proceedings against members of Congress—brought crowds into the streets, mobilized primarily by artists and social movements. This opened the possibility for a broader political education: a campaign that could begin exposing the limits and dysfunctions of Brazil’s political system while putting Bolsonaro’s movement on the defensive for its predictable support of political privilege. The amendment was defeated. But the executive branch then backed away from the fight. It remained associated with an institutional world widely seen as corrupt, elitist, and indifferent to ordinary people’s struggles. In doing so, it forfeited its credibility as a vehicle for the protest vote. On Sunday, it reaped the bitter fruits. Are We Doomed? Taking a different approach from Sakamoto, the philosopher Moysés Pinto Neto and other writers have drawn attention, in their first analyses of October 4, to the fragmentation of the public sphere produced by Big Tech platforms. Through their algorithms, these platforms present each person with a different view of social reality. As a consequence, it becomes much harder to identify common material problems and demands—for example, the fight for labor rights or for a properly funded public health system. Voters no longer embrace such demands, these authors argue, because they no longer see themselves as part of a collective. Instead, they tend to value the identities assigned to them by neoliberal subjectivity—the role of the entrepreneur, for example. On this interpretation, the left’s possible error lies in clinging to outdated illusions. Moysés’s warning is highly relevant and resonates with arguments such as Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor’s “Apocalyptic Fascism and the Billionaires’ Bet.” Unlike a century ago, the far right no longer promises a radiant future. It concentrates instead on resentment—especially that of young men. “They belong to a generation that fears it may never own a home, but compensates with the pleasure it gets from constantly provoking progressives online. Convinced their future has been stolen, they share memes romanticizing historical authoritarian regimes,” the authors write. But Moysés seems to confuse this danger with inevitability. He fails to see that the left’s answer cannot be adaptation. On the contrary, it must strengthen the possibility of politics as collective action. Nor does he recognize that precisely such a reversal is already becoming possible in some of the most promising mobilizations of the twenty-first century: the election, at the end of 2025, of the young Muslim Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York, on a platform centered on the intensely material fight for an affordable city; the Left Party’s victory in Berlin two weeks ago, built around the demand to expropriate private real-estate corporations; and the very recent wave of demonstrations in Spain—including an occupation of Madrid’s Puerta del Sol—in which tens of thousands of young people mobilized by the Tenants’ Union have demanded limits on rents. By putting itself in the straitjacket of the “fiscal framework” in the first months of 2022, Lula’s third government adopted the second fatal accommodation of its term. Faced with conservative institutions and a country devastated by four years of Bolsonaro, increased public investment was the government’s remaining weapon for offering a more dignified life to the majority and forging an anti-conservative pact with them. The same state that disburses 1 trillion reais a year to enrich a small class of rentiers could instead spend money to extend the Family Health Strategy to every Brazilian, at a cost of 30 billion reais; provide full-day public schooling and childcare to all adolescents and children—and, especially, relief to their mothers; achieve universal sanitation while cleaning up polluted urban rivers; multiply metro systems; begin transforming the urban peripheries; and undertake many other urgently needed projects. In April 2023, an article in Outras Palavras warned that the fiscal framework could “shrink the Lula government and preserve the forces that condemn the country to inequality and regression.” A year later, another article showed that restraints on public spending were strangling policies vital to ordinary people and undermining the president’s popularity. In November 2024 came a reality check, in the form of the government’s humiliating defeat in the municipal elections. Even then, the fiscal lock was neither removed nor loosened. On the contrary: throughout the government’s four years, fiscal restraint remained central to its political narrative. The administration proudly proclaimed that it had “put the state’s accounts in order,” without grasping either how misleading that phrase was—given the payment of 1 trillion reais in interest—or how badly the message was hurting it politically. Lula finally woke up in September 2026. The increase in Bolsa Família benefits, after four years of being frozen; the announcement that anti-obesity drugs would be offered through Brazil’s public health system; and the ban on online betting showed that the state has the power to act decisively on behalf of the majority when those in government are willing to confront obstacles. The huge marches that closed the campaign in Fortaleza, Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo on the eve of October 4 showed how such initiatives can mobilize activists and the broader public. But it was too late—and too little to change the outcome of the first round. History has not ended The possibility of a turnaround in the three weeks leading up to November 25 cannot be ruled out. It will not be simple or easy. Lula must not only make up a deficit of 2.2 million votes; he must also offset the movement of voters who backed other right-wing candidates in the first round, most of whom are likely to move toward Flávio Bolsonaro. Pulling that off will require a broad, grassroots effort to win over voters, potentially reinforced by new initiatives from Lula. The coming hours and days will be decisive. If Bolsonaro’s movement also wins the presidency, the result will create a high-risk situation for Brazilian sovereignty and democracy. The enormous challenges posed by such an outcome would require the left to reexamine, in depth and with a genuine willingness to engage in self-criticism, its political projects—or its lack of them—and its practices. But would that mean we are condemned to the long winter of far-right hegemony that some analyses are beginning to forecast? It is far too early to say, suggests a recent text by Álvaro García Linera, the thinker who served as vice president of Bolivia under Evo Morales. His central hypothesis is that this political current will prove short-lived. At a moment when the entire world is once again talking about sovereignty and protecting national economies, the far right offers a stale, recolonizing neoliberalism. Its submission to the United States is as blatant and pathetic as Flávio and Eduardo Bolsonaro’s overtures to Donald Trump. Its project amounts to something like every man for himself: greater inequality, capitalism without limits, devastation, and supremacism. Will it work? In the United States, just two years into his second term, Trump himself is reaching record levels of unpopularity and may be on the verge of losing Republican control of both the House and Senate in November. Every new beginning is difficult. Whatever the outcome of the second round, the defeats of October 4 show how profoundly the Brazilian left will have to rethink and rebuild. But just as it would be foolish to underestimate the seriousness of its mistakes, it would be equally foolish to conclude that rebuilding a political project is no longer possible. History has not ended. The times are moving faster than ever. Originally published in Portuguese by Outras Palavras. English translation by Eric Blanc; I’ve added the subtitles. More We can’t stop the far right at home or abroad without a revitalized labor movement, which is yet another reason why you should become a sustaining supporter of the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC) — one of US labor’s pivotal bright spots. Relatedly, Jacobin published a short piece of mine reflecting on a decade of Bernie Sanders inspiring a whole new generation of young worker organizers.
Protecting elections and play ball?
As I approach 10 years of writing these columns for Colorado Politics, I suspect that only my kindly and long-suffering editor has read all roughly 600-plus of my missives. But regular readers will likely recall I can be easily distracted (squirrel!) and that I often report on multiple items in a column that, in theory, […]
Opinion: Pay for performance, not for politics
North Carolina should link teacher pay growth to hard-to-staff roles and performance, not seniority, credentials or political pressures, columnist John Hood arg...
Opinion: Pay for performance, not for politics
North Carolina should link teacher pay growth to hard-to-staff roles and performance, not seniority, credentials or political pressures, columnist John Hood arg...
Column: Becerra on cruise control, Hilton offers contrived fixes for California's problems
Look, Xavier Becerra could cruise to a South Pacific island and bask on the beach until election day and Californians would still choose him as their next governor.
Column: Did Iowa miss chance to address kids’ mental health?
I question if the decisions made were the best use for the funds. What about designating more to school and community grants, which could hire more counselors and therapists? Or
Column: More than just a phase: The real science behind why teens feel everything so intensely
When a minor inconvenience feels like the end of the world, take a deep breath. Remember you’re navigating the complex reality of a growing mind.
Jodi's Journal: A sign of the consumer spending times?
Gas prices are climbing as the crucial fourth quarter begins for businesses. In this week's column, Jodi takes a look at how the consumer could be responding.
TST Best Bets: October 4, 2026
Week 4 of the NFL season has arrived, and this column is due for a bounce-back after back-to-back weeks under .500 followed a strong Week 1 debut.Let’s get straight to it as we pick every game on Sunday’s slate, starting with the Lock of the Week.For all of your NFL betting picks, here are today’s TST Best Bets, brought to you by BetOnline.ag. Click here to join. All new players receive a 50% welcome bonus and up to $250 in free bets.
Littwin: Election-year debates are becoming increasingly rare. Is it fear or calculation? Or both?
The columnist writes that the lack of public debate stems from a combination of fear of gaffes and political calculation.
Opinion/Guest column: When politics, science collide over vaccination
These actions ignore the 300-plus-year history in the United States of prioritizing the health of people and communities.
Opinion/Guest column: When politics, science collide over vaccination
These actions ignore the 300-plus-year history in the United States of prioritizing the health of people and communities.
Opinion/Guest column: When politics, science collide over vaccination
These actions ignore the 300-plus-year history in the United States of prioritizing the health of people and communities.
Opinion/Guest column: When politics, science collide over vaccination
These actions ignore the 300-plus-year history in the United States of prioritizing the health of people and communities.
Opinion/Guest column: When politics, science collide over vaccination
These actions ignore the 300-plus-year history in the United States of prioritizing the health of people and communities.
Opinion | Opinion: What the Cornell Lawsuit Reveals About Sexual Violence in America
The columnist David French argues that “we have privileged getting wasted over taking care of people.”
Let’s thank the politician who helped drive the Freedom Caucus out of power
I know it’s way too early for a Thanksgiving column. Halloween is still more than a month away.
Getting a taste of stage-door magic at \'Oh, Mary!\' on Broadway [column]
Before this year, the last time I set foot in a Broadway theater was 2007.
Strategic sovereignty, social movements, and political agency: Evidence from the US-Israeli military campaign in Iran
Military intervention may be undertaken to weaken a hostile regime and strengthen the position of its opponents. This column argues that evidence from the 2026 US-Israeli strikes on Iran points to a different outcome: the strikes left total protest levels broadly unchanged but sharply reoriented mobilisation away from anti-government protest and toward pro-government activity. The findings suggest that overt foreign intervention can make sovereignty politically valuable to incumbent governments by making domestic opposition easier to portray as aligned with an external adversary.
Book Talk: Curl up with one of 2026’s thrilling mysteries
As Denton enters spooky season, Book Talk columnist Jean Greenlaw rounds up mysteries and thrillers from this year.
Don’t trade your mental health to be the best
Columnist Sara Sayed emphasizes the importance of students taking advantage of mental health resources to manage academic stress.
Drake: Let’s thank the politician who helped drive the Freedom Caucus out of power
I know it’s way too early for a Thanksgiving column. Halloween is still more than a month away.
Lubbock business news includes Optimum grant, openings, closings
Business Reporter Alana Edgin reviews recent Lubbock area businesses news and hints at upcoming articles in the Around the Hub column.
Browns win battle with Steelers but are losing war with Deshaun Watson
The Browns are surprisingly in first place in the AFC North. That should be good news, but let's fast forward a bit, writes columnist Nate Davis.
John Baer, award-winning longtime Inquirer and Daily News political reporter and columnist, has died at 79
“He was the most feared reporter in my eight years in Harrisburg,” former Gov. Ed Rendell said. “He did his work. He did his digging. He really cared about the issues.”
The best popular-science books of October 2026
With a new book from the late primatologist Frans de Waal and a deep dive into artificial intelligence from New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose, there is some hard-hitting popular science to look forward to this month – with added Pokémon, says Liz Else
Brown: Trump’s $15 billion Iowa surprise roils Minnesota politics, but merits skepticism
"On Monday, President Donald Trump welcomed Iowa officials and the Minnesota iron mining company Mesabi Metallics to the Oval Office for an announcement. The news he revealed was stunning," columnist Aaron Brown writes.
Entertainment RX: Cancer treatment, concern for a gender-fluid grandchild
Entertainment RX, a new column from former Globe TV critic Matthew Gilbert, is an entertainment-guided advice column offering things to read, listen to, or watch that somehow address — or, in some cases, distract from — the issues readers write in about.
Political analyst on Trump's campaign stop in reliably red Oklahoma
NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks to political analyst and columnist Ron Brownstein about President Trump's pre-midterm campaign visit to the Republican-majority state of Oklahoma.
Here's who won the Hilton-Becerra debate for California governor
Three Times columnists weigh in on the only scheduled face-to-face debate in the race for California governor.
'Blowout': Here's who won the Hilton-Becerra debate for California governor
Three Times columnists weigh in on the only scheduled face-to-face debate in the race for California governor.